Articles are listed in
alphabetical order by state within each category, so you can easily scan through
the articles for those within your state or other states in which you have an
interest. Internationalarticles
are near the end. The categories are:Abuse
and Neglect, Laws & Legislation, Studies & Statistics, Improved Supports,International,and sometimes,
Miscellaneous.

Check the categories below
for a guide to types of abuse. The categories are indicated by type, and the
number of the article.

Check the categories below for a guide to types of abuse. The categories
are indicated by type, and the number of the article.

Type:

Sexual Assault: 2
(question of consent), 3, 7, 57

Physical Abuse: 1, 4,9

Emotional/verbal abuse: 9,
65

Restrained: 8

Kept enclosed:

Murder: 6, 10

Neglected: 5

Related to special
education: 4, 8, 9, 57

Law Enforcement: 10

WINNER of most egregious
award:
3: Man attempts to rape 5 year old autistic child so that he would stop himself
from raping his 2 year old daughter, thinking that the autistic child would not
be able to tell of the abuse. A novel and malevolent “prevention” effort.

WINNER of “good job” award: 14: Move to
eliminate terms “illegitimate” and “retarded” from common use;66 – Gerber
selects a child with a disability for the first time in its history; 68: Model
with Down syndrome starts a trend; 69: Valentine Day dances planned for people
with disabilities.

22:
(Questionable) A 2-minute screening instrument to identify autism is
promulgated; 31: increase in FASD rates by 10 times; 34: Use of psychotropics to
control nursing home residents, not to heal them (cross reference #38); 43:
Nursing home patients are overmedicated; 59: individuals with autism get
psychoanalysis which leads to recommendation for psychiatric hospitalization
then removal from the family.

1.“Man accused of abusing boy in
special needs group home.” A Valley man who worked as a caregiver at two group
homes has been arrested and accused of assault. --- fox10phoenix.com, February 2
(Arizona)
https://is.gd/hAs1DS

2.“Stubblefield’s lawyers: Rape
charge can’t be believed because she lied about dancing nude online for money.”
Lawyers for former football star Dana Stubblefield are demanding that bail be
set in their client’s rape case because new evidence has emerged to support his
claim that he paid the woman for consensual sex. --- mercurynews.com, February 5
(California) https://is.gd/fsUobd

3.“Orlando man sentenced to more
than 17 years for trying to have sex with autistic child.” An Orlando man told FBI agents he planned to have sex with a 5-year-old
autistic girl to keep himself from molesting his own small children, according
to court documents. ---- orlandosentinel.com, February 2 (Florida) https://is.gd/fcF3fL

4.“Escambia County school bus aide
fired after mistreating autistic child.” A Pensacola woman has been charged with
battery after Escambia County deputies say she mistreated a special needs
student. --- weartv.com, February 2 (Florida) https://is.gd/YY6XMW

5.“Florida couple leave autistic
son alone outside bar while they watch Super Bowl.” A Florida couple were
arrested on Super
Bowl Sunday after
they left their 6-year-old autistic son outside a bar while they drank and
rooted for the Philadelphia Eagles, according to an arrest affidavit. ---
local10.com, February 6 (Florida) https://is.gd/WlV3hD

6.“Whitney Young HS senior with
autism found stabbed to death.” Faculty and students at Whitney Young High
School on Monday were mourning the loss of a popular special needs student who
was stabbed to death at his temporary apartment in the East Garfield Park
neighborhood on the West Side. --- abc7chicago.com, February 7 (Illinois) https://is.gd/RatQVx

7.“Brockton Housing Authority
maintenance man arrested on rape charges.” A working foreman for the maintenance
department at the Brockton Housing Authority was arrested and charged with rape
and indecent assault and battery on a mentally disabled person, according to
police. --- enterprisenews.com, February 7 (Massachusetts) https://is.gd/opTEFk

8.“Disability Advocates Allege
Abuse, Neglect at Kindergarten in Haverhill.” An advocacy group says it has
uncovered evidence of abuse and neglect at a Massachusetts public kindergarten
that serves many children with disabilities. --- wbur.org, February 2
(Massachusetts) httts://is.gd/C0hwWC

9.“Macomb County special needs
teacher accused of verbally, physically abusing students.” An elementary school
teacher was charged with child abuse after investigators were tipped off that
she was verbally and physically abusing her autistic students in Macomb
Township.
Brittany Stevens, 28,
of Mt. Clemens, was charged with three counts of second-degree child abuse. ---
clickondetroit.com February 8 (Michigan) https://is.gd/2OeMM9

10.“San
Antonio teen killed by police had disabilities.” The mother of a 19-year-old
killed by police said her son functioned at the level of a second-grader. ---
khou.com, February 6 (Texas) https://is.gd/L9RJRt

GUARDIANSHIP

11.“Arizona
Bill Aims to Close the Guardianship Gap.” A new bill in Arizona would speed up
the process for caregivers to begin receiving subsidies for the children in
their care before a permanent guardianship has been finalized. The bill also
allows guardians who subsequently adopt to apply for adoption subsidies, which
they currently cannot do. This would be similar to how subsidies are granted to
adoptive families and would help prospective guardians plan and budget in
advance. --- chronicleofsocialchange.org, February 2 (Arizona) https://is.gd/P0Himg

12.“Senate
to consider guardianship fix.” A phased-in guardianship reform bill is headed to
the full Senate for a vote after the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday
endorsed the idea of injecting transparency – rather than big changes – into the
current system within six months. --- abqjournal.com, February 5 (New Mexico)
https://is.gd/KEsvSJ

LAWS & LEGISLATION

13.“How
Prosecutors are Making Intellectually-Disabled African-Americans on Death Row
Smart Enough to Kill.” IQ tests have long been plagued by claims of cultural and
racial bias. Critics from a wide range of arenas, including academia,
psychology, psychiatry and activism have characterized these controversial
assessments as ineffective, inappropriate and skewed toward a normative white
standard. ---
atlantablackstar.com,
February 8 https://is.gd/6oOnOL

14.“Colorado
may scrub 'illegitimate' and 'retarded' from laws.” The nonpartisan staff for
the legislature reports that none of the updated language will change the way
the state conducts business or cost taxpayers any money. --- 9news.com, February
7 (Colorado) https://is.gd/xMG81g

15.“ACLU
suit accuses state prison of violating blind inmate's rights.” A blind inmate
was discriminated against when a state prison refused to allow him to
participate in a literacy program to get his sentence reduced, according to a
lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. ---
southbendtribune.com, February 8 (Indiana) https://is.gd/EAVYU2

16.“For
first time, Indiana special education students could receive alternate diploma.”
Indiana may soon have not one, but two, new diplomas. For months, state
officials and lawmakers have been working on creating a single Indiana diploma
to encompass all four of the state's current diploma offerings in a way that
will satisfy new federal reporting requirements. --- indystar.com, February 5
(Indiana) https://is.gd/sxUtH1

17.“Iowa
Medicaid lawsuit dismissed; critics say chronic problems persist.” A lawsuit
accusing Iowa’s privately-run Medicaid program of illegally denying health
assistance for thousands of Iowans with disabilities was dismissed Friday by a
federal judge because the managed-care company in the suit ended its contract
with the state. --- desmoinesregister.com, February 2 (Iowa) https://is.gd/ocJVD9

18.“Tenants
evicted improperly from Baltimore's privatized public housing, complaint
alleges.” Former public housing complexes that Baltimore officials sold to
developers are evicting tenants too quickly and without proper notice, a new
complaint alleges. Disability Rights Maryland, a nonprofit advocacy group,
investigated court filings related to former public housing and said it found
seven cases over the past year in which residents were evicted or served with
eviction notices improperly. --- baltimoresun.com, February 8 (Maryland) https://is.gd/5N8WQ3

19.“RCSD,
parents react after sudden departure of special education program head.” Both
the Rochester City School District and parents of special needs children say
they’re concerned about the future of the district’s special education
department following the sudden departure of Theresa Wood, who headed the
program for two months before leaving this week. --- 13wham.com, February 7 (New
York) https://is.gd/TPKEdD

20.“Ohio’s
Dangerous Abortion Ban Pits Disability Rights Against Reproductive Rights.”
Anti-choice activists must stop using people with disabilities as pawns in their
mission to undermine reproductive rights, as they have with the newest ban
making it unlawful for health-care providers to perform abortions based on a
fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome. --- rewire.news February 8 (Ohio) https://is.gd/wkvkAx

21.“Greeneville:
Group Homes Should Have to Pay for Services.” The Greeneville Board of Mayor and
Aldermen approved a resolution Tuesday encouraging the state legislature to pass
a bill that would require group homes serving the intellectually disabled to
make in-lieu-of-tax payments to local governments. --- greenevillesun.com,
February 7 (Tennessee) https://is.gd/ISRreZ

22.“Appeal
denied for bus driver who sexually abused special needs children.” The Utah
Court of Appeals upheld a conviction Thursday of a Draper bus driver accused of
sexually abusing two special needs students he drove to school. ---
deseretnews.com February 2 (Utah) https://is.gd/YvW2ST

23.“Utah
House OKs bill banning abortions based on Down syndrome.” Utah's House of
Representatives passed legislation Monday barring abortions sought because a
fetus has been diagnosed with Down syndrome, sending the measure to the Senate
despite warnings from their attorneys that there's a high probability a court
will rule it's unconstitutional. --- miamiherald.com, February 5 (Utah) https://is.gd/AVlrAj

24.“Cheesecake
Factory to pay $15,000 to fired deaf dishwasher in Seattle.” The Cheesecake
Factory restaurant chain has agreed to pay $15,000 to settle a federal complaint
that it failed to provide a sign language interpreter or other accommodations
for a deaf part-time dishwasher at its downtown Seattle location--- komonews.com,
February 2 (Washington) https://is.gd/qWurjY

25.“Don’t
shortchange special education.” School districts across Washington agree on at
least one critique of the state’s new education-funding plan: The Legislature is
still not spending enough money on special education. --- seattletimes.com,
February 6 (Washington) https://is.gd/xXx4VY

STUDIES & STATISTICS

26.“Don’t
overlook autistic girls.” Close your eyes and conjure up an image of an autistic
kid. What springs to mind? --- miamiherald.com, February 1 https://is.gd/NMKUUY

28.“Sea
it to Believe it” Does the ocean hold the key to a breakthrough cure for
depression?” --- Ground-breaking research has revealed low brain levels of an
essential nutrient could be contributing to our mental health crisis. ---
thesun.co.uk, February 2 https://is.gd/2HiiG1

29.“Occurrence
of Elder Abuse Remains High for Dementia Patients.” Today, an estimated 5.5
million Americans have been diagnosed with the tragic memory, thinking and
behavior disease, Alzheimer’s – one of the most common forms of dementia. As
these people age, 75 percent of them will be admitted to a nursing home by their
80th birthday and fully dependent on someone else to care for them. ---
blog.levinperconti.com, February 5 https://is.gd/0eZvNi

30.“Researchers
Develop 2-Minute Autism Screening Tool.” New research suggests that a quick
questionnaire may be highly accurate at flagging children for autism. ---
disabilityscoop.com, February 6 https://is.gd/O2Vzo3

31.“Fetal
Alcohol Disorders Up to 10 Times More Common Than Believed.” Up to 10 times more
children have disabilities related to fetal alcohol exposure -- drinking during
pregnancy -- than previously believed, finds a new study. --- forbes.com,
February 6 https://is.gd/BUOzHq

33.“Adverse
childhood experiences can lead to poor health as adult.” February’s emphasis on
love and friendship is a great time to ponder how our relationships with family
and friends can affect our personal health, both for better and worse. Until
fairly recently, the medical field has under-­appreciated the connection between
nurturing relationships and health. --- registerguard.com, February 5 https://is.gd/bWmQy1

34.“US
nursing homes misuse prescription drugs to control residents, says Human Rights
Watch.”
Nursing homes across the US are giving antipsychotic drugs to residents with dementia to
control their behaviour, despite rules against the misuse of drugs as “chemical
restraints”, a new report claims. --- independent.co.uk, February 5 https://is.gd/OfAh5X

IMPROVED SUPPORTS

35.“Feds
Disclose Schools Under Investigation for Disability Discrimination.” The U.S.
Department of Education is making it easier to find out when a school is under
investigation for violating the civil rights of students with disabilities. ---
disabilityscoop.com, February 8 https://is.gd/VVm5mD

36.“Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act Report Series.” NCD undertook this report series
as an examination of the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) and as a follow-up to a number of NCD's prior education
reports. Since NCD’s last report on IDEA in 2004, IDEA was reauthorized, the
Federal Government implemented new federal monitoring systems, and most
recently, --- ncd.gov, February 7 https://is.gd/OBMmxh

38.“Risky
Antipsychotic Drugs Still Overprescribed in Nursing Homes.” A study published Monday by Human
Rights Watch finds that about 179,000 nursing home residents are being
given antipsychotic drugs, even though they don't have schizophrenia or other
serious mental illnesses that those drugs are designed to treat. --- npr.org,
February 5 https://is.gd/EcBtfh

39.“Autism
groups say families must prepare for police encounters — and officers need
better training.” A Phoenix-area incident last year drove home the need to
continue training first responders on interacting with people with autism and
other developmental disabilities. --- azcentral.com, February 5 (Arizona) https://is.gd/thWrUK

42.“$100K
shortage in Montville’s special ed account ‘not anything unusual’.” A $100,000
shortfall in the public school district’s special education account is par for
the course, according to Superintendent Brian Levesque, who says shortages occur
every fiscal year as the needs of special education students fluctuate. ---
norwichbulletin.com, February 2 (Connecticut) https://is.gd/g3O4Vt

43.“Overmedicated
in Kansas: Human Rights Watch says nursing homes among worst nationally.” Kansas
is one of six states spotlighted in a new report on the overuse of
anti-psychotic drugs to sedate nursing home residents. --- kansascity.com,
February 7 (Kansas) https://is.gd/JQ2FUD

44.“GiGi's
Playhouse: A haven of learning, empowerment for those with Down syndrome.” Down
syndrome is not a disease. There is no cure. But there is hope. That is the
driving factor that brought hundreds of people affected by Down syndrome — many
young people with the disorder and many more family members — for the grand
opening Saturday of GiGi’s Playhouse, a learning, achievement and empowerment
center in Annapolis. --- capitalgazette.com, February 3 (Maryland) https://is.gd/DUWtkX

45.“Creating
A Community for People with Developmental Disabilities.” Parents of adult
children with developmental disabilities often struggle with long-term housing
options. In one Michigan city, there's an unusual development aiming to provide
more independence. --- npr.org, February 4 (Michigan) https://is.gd/SJb1II

46.“We
had a great day at the park with our autistic son, until someone called the
police.” It had been a good day at the park. A miracle day, in fact, for our
family. Our 5-year-old son, Johnny, who is moderately autistic and prone to
violent outbursts and self-injurious behavior, had sailed through the outing
without a meltdown. So it was all the more shocking when the police approached
us. --- stltoday.com, February 8 (Missouri) https://is.gd/hMuokT

47.“Health
Department Outlines Cuts to Services for Special Needs Kids.” The state health
department is taking the next step to chip away at $49 million in budget cuts.
That’s how much Governor Steve Bullock and state lawmakers told the department
it had to reduce expenses at the end November’s special legislative session, in
order to balance the state
budget after lower than expected tax revenues last year. ---
mtpr.org, February 11
(Montana) https://is.gd/RJgPjX

49.“Cornell
launches new disability awareness campaign.” Using campus wide postering and
social media, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator Team is
launching a new campaign, #DiversityIncludesDisability, to build awareness of
disability issues and support for an inclusive and accessible environment for
individuals with disability. --- news.cornell.edu, February 8 (New York) https://is.gd/28hGZU

50.“Meet
Milo, a robot helping Texas students with autism.” It used to be difficult for
Elgin Middle School seventh-grader Abigail Wise to stay focused during some of
her lessons in the classroom. --- kxan.com, February 7 (Texas) https://is.gd/1gR4Xt

51.“Virginia
Seeks to Create a Deaf Advisory Committee, But the Way Forward Isn't So Clear.”
Children who are born deaf or hard of hearing often wind up in kindergarten with
no formal language. The state wants to find out why and what can be done, but
there’s disagreement over the best approach. --- wvtf.org, February 7 (Virginia)
https://is.gd/6JIFxX

52.“Wisconsin
releases free visor cards for deaf, hard of hearing drivers to communicate with
police.” The Wisconsin Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is giving the
community a much-needed new resource to make interactions with police officers
easier and safer. --- channel3000.com, February 4 (Wisconsin) https://is.gd/Ce1vbg

INTERNATIONAL

53.“Prisoners
with disabilities routinely face sexual, physical abuse: Human Rights Watch.”
Pete's first stint in youth detention left a deep and lasting impression on him.
At 14, he said he was sexually abused and beaten by fellow inmates at a juvenile
correctional centre. --- abc.net.au, February 7 (Australia) https://is.gd/WHVCl0

54.“N.S.
case seeks to make supported homes for disabled declared a right.” A
ground-breaking human rights case set to begin on Monday could help hundreds of
Nova Scotians with disabilities move out of institutions and into small group
homes, says a lawyer who has led a three-year-long effort to bring the cases
before a formal hearing. --- thewesternstar.com, February 4 (Canada) https://is.gd/UCjeJO

55.“New
Toronto research hub to focus on developmental disabilities and mental illness.”
Statistics suggest mental illness more prevalent among those with
neurodevelopmental disabilities --- cbc.ca, February 5 (Canada) https://is.gd/VYYK9s

56.“Nova
Scotia argues that supported housing for disabled is 'not a right'.” Nobody has
the unfettered right to live in government-assisted housing of their own
choosing, a lawyer for the Nova Scotia government told a human rights board of
inquiry Monday. "It is not a right guaranteed by the government," said Kevin
Kindred, the counsel for the Attorney General, during opening arguments in
a case advocates say could help people with disabilities move into supported
housing in the community. --- thechronicleherald.ca, February 6 (Canada) https://is.gd/irhWIj

57.“La
Verne special-needs teacher’s aide accused of sexually abusing student, held on
$2 million bail.” A 25-year-old teacher’s aide at a La Verne school focused on
the education of special needs children is being held on $2 million bail after
she pleaded not guilty to seven charges of child sex offenses involving a boy
younger than 14, according to court records. --- dailybulletin.com, February 6
(Canada) https://is.gd/qFYz4k

58.“Hong
Kong’s special needs children not getting the therapy they need past the age of
six.” Community group asks government to extend subsidies for therapy from
preschool to primary school pupils, as some low-income parents are using the
bulk of their funds for private sessions --- scmp.com, February 5 (China) https://is.gd/kSJCPv

59.“'France
is 50 years behind': the 'state scandal' of French autism treatment.” A reliance
on psychoanalysis sees autistic children going undiagnosed, being placed in
psychiatric units and even being removed from their parents --- theguardian.com,
February 8 (France) https://is.gd/ZMRxWO

60.“Bombay
High Court refuses permission to autistic boy to appear for Class X exams.” The
Bombay High Court has refused to grant relief to a 16-year-old autistic boy
whose parents had approached it seeking that he be allowed to sit for the Class
X exam this year. In an order passed earlier this week, a bench of Justices B R
Gavai and B P Colabawalla however, suggested that the parents consider shifting
the boy to a school that caters to children with special needs and that he take
the exam at another suitable time. --- freepressjournal.in, February 4 (India)
https://is.gd/ejrFFt

61.“Poverty
and people with disabilities.” Sir, – I refer to your editorial of February
5th on the issue of the ever-widening poverty gap for people with
disabilities. The extra costs associated with having a disability have been
hidden by poverty measures that look at income alone. --- irishtimes.com,
February 7 (Ireland) https://is.gd/EObSk5

62.“'We're
absolutely ecstatic': Mum caring for disabled son wins appeal over pay.” A
mother caring for her intellectually disabled son is "absolutely ecstatic" after
winning an appeal against a government decision to only pay her part-time for
her work. Auckland woman Diane Moody is a full-time caregiver for her
51-year-old son, Shane Chamberlain. --- stuff.co.nz, February 8 (New Zealand)
https://is.gd/SFJ6TH

63.“In
Sierra Leone, supporting children living with disabilities.” As I stepped into
the house in a suburb of Waterloo Town, western Sierra Leone, something
immediately caught my eye – the broad smile on the face of a 13-year-old boy
sitting in a wheelchair and beckoning me to sit beside him. --- reliefweb.int,
February 2 (Sierra Leone) https://is.gd/vcHeOi

64.“Autistic
UK Man Accused of Hacking FBI Wins Appeal Against Extradition to U.S.” An
autistic British man accused of hacking into U.S. government agencies won his
appeal against extradition to the United States on Monday but was told he should
be prosecuted in Britain instead. --- usnews.com, February 5 (UK) https://is.gd/xTALEy

66.“Utter
cuteness! Down syndrome boy steals Gerber execs' hearts in photo contest.” The
winning smile goes to 18-month-old Lucas Warren, the first baby with Down
syndrome to be awarded first place for the Gerber baby contest in its 91-year
history. Out of 140,000 photo submissions, the adorable boy was chosen to be
this year’s spokes baby. --- foxnews.com, February 7 https://is.gd/B6OG5T

67.“Man
in wheelchair takes journey to shake hands with someone in every state.” One man
is on a journey to shake hands with a person in every state. Dennis Schultz is
making his way across the U.S. in a wheelchair on a mission he calls the
“Handshake Journey.” --- koat.com, February 3 https://is.gd/gRZRjk

68.“The
World's First Professional Model with Down Syndrome Will Inspire You to Be the
Best Version of Yourself.” Madeline Stuart, an Australian model with Down
syndrome, is on a mission to change the way we look at people with disabilities.
The 21-year-old first broke the internet last year after becoming the world's
first professional model with Down syndrome to star in major fashion campaigns.
--- shape.com, February 2 https://is.gd/wmDsWq

69.“Over
90,000 Expected at Proms for Those with Special Needs.” Teens and adults with
disabilities from around the globe are expected to attend hundreds of proms
planned just for them on a single night ahead of Valentine’s Day. ---
disabilityscoop.com, February 6 https://is.gd/I7zbiT